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Ottawa County canvass counts 17 provisional ballots, rejects five and partially counts two
Summary
At an Nov. 7 canvass meeting, Ottawa County Clerk Tammi Cox recommended and the Board approved counting 17 provisional ballots, not counting five, and partially counting two; all motions passed 3-0. Clerk staff reported efforts to contact voters and noted three undeliverable ballots and two advance-ballot issues.
Tammi Cox, Ottawa County clerk, reviewed the county's canvass of recent election returns and told the Board of County Canvassers that staff had identified 24 provisional ballots for review. She said there were three undeliverable ballots, one advance ballot received without an envelope, and one advance ballot that was unsigned. "She stated they tried to contact the voters with undeliverable ballots and offered to take the unsigned ballot to the voter," Cox said during the Nov. 7 session.
Cox recommended counting 17 provisional ballots "based on state statute applicable to each ballot," and Commissioner Carla Grund moved to adopt that recommendation; Commissioner Duane Morris seconded. The board recorded the motion as passed 3-0. Cox then presented five provisional ballots she recommended not counting under the cited state statute; the board approved that recommendation on a 3-0 vote. Finally, Cox recommended partially counting two provisional ballots — counting every vote on each ballot that applied to the voter — which the board approved 3-0. The transcript records these outcomes as motions with "MOTION PASSED 3-0." The transcript references only "state statute"; the specific statute citation was not specified in the record.
The actions affect voters who cast provisional or irregular advance ballots in Ottawa County; further canvass business was recessed to a later date for completion.
